LETTERS TO THE EDITOR for July 29

July 29, 2010

There is a wonderful program in our community called Kalee’s Retirement Stable. It is providing shelter for animals who are abandoned or no longer wanted by their owners. Stu and his daughter, Kalee, have set up this program on West Maui Land Company property in Lahaina on Hokiokio Road.

They have taken in such animals as sheep, goats, pigs, dogs and chickens, but the majority have been horses. They currently have 24 horses. Stu and Kalee have been providing all the feed and care for the animals through their own resources.

The two of them are at the stables twice a day to feed, water, groom and care for the animals. They address their veterinary needs, and they also nurse orphaned and abandoned animals. They have taken the animals to schools and local fund-raisers in the community, and now it is our turn to help and support this project.

Kalee’s Retirement Stable needs donations in order to maintain the care and support these animals require. One way to help is through the “Adopt a Horse Program.” This enables a child to adopt one of the horses and learn the responsibilities of caring for the animal. The other way you can help is through a monetary donation or by donating feed for the animals.

Stu and Kalee have never turned away an animal, but without the community’s support, Kalee’s Retirement Stable may not be able to take in any more animals or care for the ones they have. Any donation is greatly appreciated. Visit the website at www.kaleesretirementstable.com. For more information, please contact Stu at (808) 357-6100.

CASSIDY & RUBY O’DONNELL, Lahaina

NEW HIGHWAY WALLS ARE UNNECESSARY

What a shame — that wall alongside sections of the newly widened Honoapiilani Highway from Aholo Road to Lahainaluna Road. People used to be able to drive into Lahaina and see the charm of Lahaina Town — the small dwellings, trees, mountains, rainbows and life. The stuff that painters paint. But no longer.

Now they are encased between those walls and blocked from Lahaina, Maui — just like the San Diego Freeway going through Los Angeles. Not all four-lane roads on Maui where there are dwellings have to have walls alongside of them as long as the traffic speed is not over 45 miles an hour. This surely isn’t, and it won’t be much different than before the widening.

At the time of the “Cold War,” Russia built a horrible wall in Germany that divided communist Berlin from free Berlin. On June 12, 1987, 23 years ago, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Berlin — his most famous one of all — and told the Russians to “TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!” Shortly thereafter, the wall came down.

What a shame that we have our wall on Honoapiilani, and what a shame that Ronald Reagan isn’t here to shout out, “TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!”

But we can shout it out — all of us.

DR. GEORGE LAVENSON JR., Lahaina

THINK ABOUT WHO SUPPORTS MAYORAL CANDIDATES

As the mayoral race heats up, knowing who backs the various candidates may be helpful to the undecided voter.

Labor union Democrats will support Mayor Charmaine Tavares, just as they did four years ago when Sen. Dan Inouye endorsed her.

Liberal Democrats back Sol Kaho‘ohalahala, as evidenced by Lance Holter’s enthusiastic endorsement the day Sol announced his candidacy.

Conservative Republicans favor Ori Kopelman. Former Mayor Alan Arakawa has a loyal following of moderate Republicans and crossover moderate Democrats.

Former Planning Director Chris Hart enjoys broad support with an eclectic mix, including old-time politicians Rick Medina and Kimo Apana.

Peter Milbourn draws strength from those who are angry and disenchanted with government and politicians.

Finally, small businesspeople and their friends and families throughout Maui County are convinced that having owned and managed Piltz Electric, Randy Piltz has the business experience, the leadership skills and the necessary ability to make the tough decisions that face the county during this recession.

This is democracy in action, and at this early juncture it is impossible to predict who will emerge victorious.

DR. BEN K. AZMAN, Lahaina

THANKS FOR CLEANING STRETCH OF HIGHWAY

I just wanted to thank the guy that walks the highway and picks up all the rubbish from Times Supermarket to the Kapalua Airport. That’s always the cleanest stretch of roadway in West Maui — thanks to him.

DEREK DE CRAUSAZ, Via E-mail

DOT FIXING KEAWE STREET INTERSECTION

Lahaina Bypass Now (LBN), a volunteer community group, has been working closely with the State Department of Transportation on issues affecting West Maui roadways. We, early on, identified a problem with the Keawe Street intersection and suggested to the SDOT that they accelerate their timetable to “fix and improve” the intersection of Keawe Street and the highway, and not wait for the completion of Phase 1-A of the Lahaina Bypass. And the SDOT agreed to do so.

As everyone knows, exiting the Lahaina Gateway shopping center and exiting Walgreen’s on the other side, if you are planning to go south toward Lahaina, has been extremely difficult and time-consuming.

Construction is now underway, with an end of July targeted completion date, to install a dedicated left turn lane with a green arrow, making it a lot easier and faster to exit the shopping center and go south.

LBN has developed a mutually respectful relationship with the SDOT and continues to have excellent communication with them and with Hawaiian Dredging, the general contractor on this project. We sincerely appreciate their cooperation and their willingness to keep LBN updated on their progress, so we, in turn, can update all of our residents.

BOB PURE, Lahaina Bypass Now

TURN TO FINANCIAL PLANNERS FOR HELP

Many residents in our community are asking, “Will the economy get even worse before it gets better?”

This is a real worry. And it’s driving many of us to reevaluate how to best manage our complex personal finance goals. The good news is that there are qualified people to whom we can turn for answers.

A timely new public opinion survey from Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board), which celebrated its 25th anniversary this month, shows that Americans in search of the answers are turning to financial planners for help. As a Certified Financial Planner professional who lives and works here in Maui, I wasn’t surprised to learn that nearly two out of three Americans (65 percent) have financial concerns that are now much or somewhat greater than at the start of the financial crisis two years ago.

The recent economic challenges, and the diversity and complexity of financial products and services available to Americans today, are driving many to seek professional assistance for their financial planning needs. Many people are choosing to invest their trust in financial planners who hold Certified Financial Planner certification. One reason is that CFP certification is granted only to financial planners who have met rigorous education, examination, experience and ethics requirements. CFP Board polices the ranks of our profession by enforcing those requirements and publicly sanctioning those who break the rules.

Another reason is CFP Board’s 25-year track record of advocating for the consumer and what’s in the consumer’s best interest. Recently, CFP Board has promoted efforts to have a fiduciary standard for all who provide investment advice included as part of the important financial regulatory reform our country desperately needs to get Wall Street back on track. A fiduciary standard puts the consumer’s interests first, ahead of all others.

In 1985, when CFP Board was created, there were just a handful CFP professionals nationwide. Today, there are more than 61,000 CFP professionals in the United States working to help their clients live better lives through the process of financial planning.

With the future direction of the U.S. economy still in question, and with the stock market and job market in turmoil, more and more Americans will turn to professional financial planners for experienced assistance with their finances. That’s a good thing for investors, and it’s a good thing for people who want to see our financial markets reinvigorated and back on their feet.